CAPUTO: MSU still trying to find offensive identity

Michigan State's Jairus Jones (23) is tackled by Western Michigan's Clark Mussman (46) after Jones intercepted a Western Michigan pass during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 26-13. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Then, the Spartans pulled out “The Wildcat,” with tailback Jeremy Langford taking direct snaps from center out of the shotgun. It’s the single-wing, really. Doesn’t get any more throwback than that, or desperate, depending on how you look at it.

Backup quarterback Connor Cook, who has good mobility, better than starter Andrew Maxwell, came in and the Spartans went to the pistol formation. He even ran a play or two which looked like the old wishbone-veer options that were in vogue in college football during the 1960s, 1970s and part of the 1980s.

It looked like a DVR recording of the Eastern Michigan game from last year. It wasn’t progress. If anything, it was regression because star running back Le‘Veon Bell is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As such, it was difficult, really, to view the Spartans’ season-opening 26-13 victory Friday night as a “triumph.”

The final score was really 2-to-1. You know, as in touchdowns scored by the Spartans’ defense compared to the offense.

Kevin Muma, the pride of Troy High School, and the Spartans’ kicker, was their best offensive weapon.

Spartan Stadium was pretty much full before lightning lit the sky, delaying the game for a brief period. After that, it was half empty. Those who left, honestly, didn’t miss something they didn’t see in 2012.

The Spartans want to be a power football team that sets up play-action passes with the run. But without Bell, they no longer have the best player on the field at tailback. Jeremy Langford, Riley Bullough and Nick Hill are not necessarily bad running backs. Langford has speed, Bullough is a hard runner and Hill is feisty, but the Spartans weren’t able to run truly effectively even against Western Michigan. The Broncos allowed 37 points to Toledo, 41 to Kent State and 48 to Northern Illinois last year, and ended the season with back-back defeats in which the Broncos surrendered 29 points each to Buffalo and Eastern Michigan. The latter two teams combined to go 6-18 in 2013.

The passes were there, but the Spartans’ receivers, extending a bad habit from last season, had greasy fingers and let pass after pass slip through their hands.

Neither Maxwell nor Cook remind anyone of Kirk Cousins or even Brian Hoyer, but it is difficult to discern whether the Spartans’ offensive struggles are on them or the overall dysfunction of the offensive unit.

“We have to convert on more offensive possessions,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I thought we ran the ball OK, but there was a lack of explosive plays. Things you worry about in a first game – unforced errors – we had ‘em. But goal No.1 is to win – and we won.”

This looked a lot like MSU’s 23-7 victory over Eastern Michigan last year. And that game proved to be telling once the Big Ten season began. It could turn out that way again this season.

There is still time for the Spartans to get it right, but South Florida will have a better accumulation of athletes on the field than Western Michigan. Youngstown State is a certain win, but the Notre Dame game is at South Bend. Before this dreadful offensive display, there was growing sentiment the Spartans would be a surprise team, mostly because of their schedule, which avoids crossover games against Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. But MSU will have trouble beating mediocre teams if its offense doesn’t improve.

Can it?

Last season, State’s defense didn’t score any touchdowns and couldn’t stop teams at crucial game-deciding moments at the end of several games. It made its sparkling stats overrated.

I expect we’ll see corrections from this defense. MSU has good athletes on defense, especially at linebacker in Max Bullough and Denicos Allen, and lineman Marcus Rush, and in the secondary. Free safety Kurtis Drummond had a special game Friday.

But offensively, what you saw Friday is what you might get.

If that proves, indeed, to be true, that’s not even close to good enough to get the Spartans where they’d like go.

Pat Caputo is a senior sports reporter and a columnist for Digital First Media. Contact him at pat.caputo@oakpress.com and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com. You can follow him on Twitter @patcaputo98